1 New forms of poverty among the young should fi nd a response in all our works and services in the Province. Co-operation and complementarity of the various Salesian works in a given territory and our unifi ed service in promoting and educating the young, strengthen and multiply forces and improve the effectiveness of each sector. Hence we need to focus on provincial and local projects dealing with youth crises and various forms of poverty and social exclusion, ensuring they have clear objectives, goals and educational approaches which are capable of preventing and overcoming these problems. It is high time for us to set up a network of information on various topics, presences, programmes and activities.
2 The SEPP of a presence explicitly dedicated to social service for young people at risk plans policies and strategies which offer gradual approaches to attention and accompaniment:
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4 5 23 Prevention, as we have seen, is not only a method of healing problems and preventing their consequences, but also of creating the conditions that ensure each young person can develop to full potential. It is important to offer open areas with a wide range of possibilities and initiatives, especially social activities like music, theatre, sports, art, outings, ITC (information technology and communication), and where individuals are valued for their innate qualities. These are signifi cant approaches to recovery and preventive action and in the context of an overall project, they encourage personal accompaniment of every young person.
4 The struggle to overcome social exclusion implies planned, mutually supportive teamwork, helping a variety of social agents to converge on the issue: the neighbourhood or surrounding area, institutions, entities or groups and wherever there is acknowledgement that situations of exclusion or crisis exist. The aim is to create a new mentality, a culture of solidarity in society where all the actors involved work together on education, family, youth policies that have an impact on the life and conditions of the young.
•avvicinarsi, interessarsi e conoscere la situazione dei giovani, condividendo i loro interessi nel loro mondo e nei loro spazi vitali, accogliendoli incondizionatamente dall’inizio;
•realizzare interventi pertinenti per la ristrutturazione/recupero personale dei giovani, aiutandoli a riconoscersi per poi offrire loro la possibilità di riparare e ricondurre in modo positivo la propria vita (coltivando gli adeguati atteggiamenti di una sana relazione con se stessi e con gli altri);
•conoscere il loro mondo religioso, per offrire esperienze che stimolino fi n dall’inizio la crescita della loro dimensione spirituale e li aiutino ad assimilare personalmente valori educativi, religiosi ed evangelici;
•aiutarli a scoprire e a sperimentare la presenza amorevole e paterna di Dio nella propria vita, creando le condizioni per un col-loquio personale, paziente, fi ducioso e confi denziale;
•lavorare su piccoli impegni per arrivare alle maggiori responsa-bilità. La stessa partecipazione dei giovani negli atti e nelle cele-brazioni civili del territorio, con esperienze di gruppo e solidali, li conduce gradualmente ad impegni più stabili.
• avvicinarsi, interessarsi e conoscere la situazione dei giovani, condividendo i loro interessi nel loro mondo e nei loro spazi vitali, accogliendoli incondizionatamente dall’inizio;
• realizzare interventi pertinenti per la ristrutturazione/recupero personale dei giovani, aiutandoli a riconoscersi per poi offrire loro la possibilità di riparare e ricondurre in modo positivo la propria vita (coltivando gli adeguati atteggiamenti di una sana relazione con se stessi e con gli altri);
• conoscere il loro mondo religioso, per offrire esperienze che stimolino fi n dall’inizio la crescita della loro dimensione spirituale e li aiutino ad assimilare personalmente valori educativi, religiosi ed evangelici;
• aiutarli a scoprire e a sperimentare la presenza amorevole e paterna di Dio nella propria vita, creando le condizioni per un paterna di Dio nella propria vita, creando le condizioni per un col-paterna di Dio
loquio personale, paziente, fi ducioso e confi denziale;
• lavorare su piccoli impegni per arrivare alle maggiori responsa-bilità. La stessa partecipazione dei giovani negli atti e nelle cele-brazioni civili del territorio, con esperienze di gruppo e solidali, li conduce gradualmente ad impegni più stabili.
•approaching, being interested in and knowledgeable about the si-tuation of the young, sharing their interests and leisure time, wel-coming them unconditionally from the outset;
•carrying out pertinent interventions of recovery/personal rehabili-tation helping them to recognise their situation so we can then offer them the possibility of healing and living more positively (cultivating appropriate attitudes of healthy relationship with self and others);
•knowing what their religious beliefs are, so that religious expe-riences can encourage them on their spiritual journey and help them personally assimilate educative, religious and evangelical values;
•helping them discover and experience the God’s loving presence and fatherliness in their lives, creating conditions for personal, pa-tient, trusting and confi dential dialogue;
•starting out with small commitments so they can move on to gre-ater responsibilities. When young people get involved in civic events and celebrations or have group experiences of solidarity, this gra-dually leads them to more stable commitment.
Structures of participation and responsibility
Local animation
To tackle the speed of fundamental change in our society, the entire EPC needs to commit to searching for an effective response to situations of youth poverty around us and creatively implement rapid processes of coordination so particular projects can be carried out.
In every community of the Province and its works, attention to young people in diffi culty needs to be developed via an analysis of the culture and mentality proposed in its SEPP. The local community should include pointers to this need in developing its SEPP: openness to the local situation and the young; reinforcing a systematic planning mentality which includes the criteria and requirements of educative and pastoral work for those most in need; attention to dynamics and approaches in the work that can avoid exclusion; group and activities which get young people involved; quality process in education and other programs, taking into consideration the circumstances of those intended to benefi t from them.
Specifi c works aimed at educating young people at risk have acquired a large number of criteria and interventions specifi c to their management.
As for every Salesian work, it requires an educative and pastoral presence with proper management and administration of fi nancial resources.
The project needs to be sustainable in terms of human, administrative, pedagogical and fi nancial resources. It is important for all sectors to seek legal advice through appropriate channels. This latter point needs greater study involving all the works and services of the Province and in collaboration with other institutions in the area.
Young people play an active part in these structures and leadership bodies too – they play an active part in their own formation in view of their inclusion within family and society.
Provincial / national animation
There is increased awareness and sensitivity in Provinces, as well as refl ection on and commitment to young people on the fringes of
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society. It is no longer an isolated sector identifi ed with just one or two works or individual initiatives. Our focus on the very poor is becoming an institutional sensitivity expressed in the provincial SEPP on the basis of which each EPC encourages particular attention to poverty and exclusion while gearing its specifi c services towards work for young people at risk. The SEPP, consistent with its choices, policies and strategies in favour of the poor, should see that its work leans towards systematic animation and networking, collaborating at all levels with the Salesian Family and other Church and civil bodies.
The basic principles guiding Provincial leadership and animation should emphasise formation and systematic pastoral animation:
◗ the social and political formation of Salesian educators, religious and lay, and of the EPC as a body, so they can all appreciate the complex reality of poverty and exclusion in which the young fi nd themselves. This helps them draw up approaches and programmes appropriate for the young and for the educators (consecrated/lay, reference people/family members);
◗ only through refl ection and systematic evaluation can the work be consolidated; planning, evaluation and renewed planning of processes leads to better quality.
The Provincial Coordinator of works and services for young people at risk should be a member of the Provincial Youth Ministry team. In some countries or provinces there is a provincial/national commission accompanying the development of Salesian works in this area as a preferred charismatic option for the entire mission. In other places
this coordination is taken up by one of the Salesian civil organisations (an association, federation or other) that plans and implements activity on behalf of the young, especially fringe youth, those at risk and/or socially excluded.
For animation and coordination of this sector special emphasis and particular importance should be given to the Provincial Planning and Developmental Offi ce (PDO). This offi ce helps the Province in its strategic planning as it seeks to fi nance these projects. It is very important that this be a joint effort with the Provincial Youth Ministry Delegate so that these projects are seen to be part of the Provincial SEPP and at the same time encouraging systematic planning and evaluation of objectives of the local SEPP.